The choice to succeed

Though Dick remains just as dirty, impoverished, and struggling as any orphaned boy living on the New York streets of the mid-nineteenth century, there is a distinguishable difference to his character. The story of Ragged Dick greatly chooses to emphasize the "good" morality of the boy, especially compared to peers in the same living and societal conditions. These "good" qualities are shown in his loyalty, hard work, and ability to earn some form of respect in the community. From the very first paragraphs, Dick is already established, stating, "You don't catch me stealin', if that's what you mean," already putting a gap between himself and the stereotypical values commonly associated with a New York street boy (Alger 10). 

In his novel, I believe that Alger is trying to promote the idea that it takes independent effort to boost oneself forward in life. As read in Rotundo's American Manhood, the issue of an emerging "youth culture" and the struggle between the groups that "connected to the youth's past," in other words family and domestic affairs, "and those that concerned his future," the foggy uphill climb into the world of men and adult society (Rotundo). The idea for young males to have the attributes of dependence, being constantly nurtured, and accustomed to a domestic life were becoming greatly negative, as these were commonly for women, and men were expected to exceed beyond this level. However, this required the youth to be cast off from their homes of comfort and into a world of rising competition and entrepreneurship.

In Dick's case, there is no defining home or domestic figure that he has grown up being pampered by. He is but an orphan alone on the street with no concept of what it is like to feel a mother's love or the security of home. Yet, Dick does have a loosely defined "community" in which he lives as comfortably as his living status allows him to be. This community consists of the street boys around him as well as his customers that know and have a sort of respect for the boy. Though Dick is usually able to make enough to eat, sleep, and entertain himself, he is still held down by the status of being a street boy and nothing less. Until he finds Frank, Dick has no concept of his ability to climb out of poverty. Frank recognizes in Dick the ability to attain wealth, but Dick has always believed that his place is on the street, shining shoes, and this is how he will live for the rest of his life.

The concept of taking a step forward out of one's comfort zone is the key to self-realization and learn how to independently make one's own future. The main key to becoming a man is to take the aggressiveness of boyhood, and transfer it from physical use to intellectual use. In other words, gain a good education and learn to speak, write, and debate with wisdom. Frank's constant push to Dick is to go find an education in order to become "'spectable." Through his friend's insight, Dick comes to a realization that in order to get somewhere in life, one must take that step themselves, without reliance on a past where he felt comfortable. Alger is emphasizing the fact that there is opportunity awaiting any young men that choose to accept the challenge. Dick, a worn-down street boy, is shown to have this potential, so why should young middle-class youth be any different?

Through Dick's tale I see Alger pushing the confused and uncertain youth towards the belief that with independence, hard work, and intellect, comes great possibility and rewards in the future. That even though breaking out of one's comfort zone seems wrong, it is the only way to climb the ladder upward to success as a man, and those who choose otherwise, for example Mickey in the story, get left at the bottom without having their fair chance in life.